Talons (progam for gifted grade 9 and 10s) philosophy and more…

I was recently asked about the philosophy of the Talons (The Academy of Learning for Outstanding, Notable Students) program and how it implements its theory into practice. Its theory and practice inform one another on almost a daily basis and our learners often influence our practice more than anything else. While its approach is grounded in the Autonomous Learner Model developed by George Betts, we adopt and merge other insights as they seem fit and a good match.

My own personal/professional philosophy of learning is mostly influenced by people such as David Orr, Chet Bowers, Fritjof Capra, Rachel Carson, Barbara McClintock, Barbara Kingsolver and Donella Meadows. Capra stresses three elements of particular importance to me: